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the Armstrong committee shows that the main
tenance of the 'House of Mirth' at Albany, be-
sides the disbursements of Judge Hamilton ;nnd
Andy Fields, were paid out of the funds of the
big. insurance companies." ttM
THE TOPEKA (KAN.) CAPITAL, a republican
paper, referring""to the democratic nominee
for state auditor, says: "It is unlikely that Bill
Bowen, who was nominated by the democrats
for state auditor, will be elected. Therefore,
the people Of Topeka will never know what they
have missed. Bill is probably the handsomest
man in. Kansas. He is certainly the champion
good looker of northeast Kansas, and has his fellow-townsman,
B. P. Waggener, beaten three ways
from the jack. He wears good .clothes well, and
has perfect tas'te in the selection of hats, neck
ties and hosiery. He is young and smart, is a
' perfect dancer, an unusually clever amateur ac
tor, and is the best judge of a show in his town.
In addition he is 'up in literature, tells a good
l story unusually well, and knows the batting and
fielding averages of every player in the big
leagues. They say that since his baby was born
he talks too much about it, but otherwise he is
an ideal candidate. In three months he would
be one of the 'show places' of Topeka, and it is
to be regretted that he is a democrat and will
be defeated." Maybe he won't be defeated. It
is no secret that the republican politicians in
Kansas are "sitting up a'nd taking notice" of
democratic activity these days.
ATA DINNER GIVEN recently by the New
York Civic Federation, William J. Gaynor,
one of the justices of New York supreme court, .
made stern criticism of present day methpdsvof
corporation leaders. August Belmont, who was
also a guest, made a spirited reply, denying that
, any of the interests with which he was connected
were responsible for violations of law. Among
, other things Justice Gaynor said: "The .commu
nity can not, without feeling deep hostility and
fthe necessity for preventive action, look on the
doubling, the trebling, of capital put into these
, enterprises. They are a perpetual tax on the
The Commoner.
public. A franchise is granted for 999 years.
Think of it! Nine years Is a more likely period
in these times. Certain rights are given to cor
porations under the high sounding namo of 'pub
lic franchises,' which aro nothing more than
gifts. Dear me, New York is standing a lot of
this over-capitalization. These great gifts of tho
community, which are bonded and stocked and
doubled up until the sum is collossal enough to
bring the people to realize that something of dis
honesty is contained in them, are enough to
shock the moral senso of this country. We have
just had this great debate on railroads in Wash
ington. The debate was not inspired by hos
tility to capital, but by tho antagonism of tho
public to gifts being taken away and made per
petual taxes on tho community. The iron high
ways are, and should bo in fact, as much public
highways as dirt roads are. Realization of this
fact is now a thing not to be got out of the minds
of the public again. The building of these high
ways may bo by necessity turned over to the
management of private individuals. The trouble
is that those to whom the gifts have been mado
should come to the understanding that they aro
for their own profit first, and the public comes
in for second consideration."
REFERRING TO THE trial of Moyer and Hay
wood, charged with the murder of former
Governor Steunenberg of Idaho, Collier's Weekly,
says: "So sharply has the public eye been fixed
upon this complicated affair that wo fancy a
fair trial will be assured. Certainly, if the forms
of law are not complied with, and if the sub
stance of justice is not done, the country will
know of the failure, as plenty of first-class cor
respondents will watch the progress of the trial.
The report of the department of commerce and
labor on this case was extremely damaging to
the mine owners, practically accusing them not
only of lawlessness, but of conspiracy to fasten
a crime on labor leaders by perjured testimony,
In lawlessness perhaps there is not much to
choose between tud owners and the workmen, and
at any rate the general blame-re not in question.
It is never wise in the long run to alluv cpu!;ir
emotion, local or general to Interfere with the
course of justice. The case of the Chicago an-
nrchists is now looked upon rather widely by
conservative men ns a gross wrong perpetrated
to appease a multitude. The Idaho and Colorado
situation Is notably different, for if the miners
aro a violent lot nothing bettor can be said for
tho owners. Tho outside world should insist
sternly on justice without regard to tho relative
sins of capital and labor. It Is a pure matter
of law and evidence relating to a specific crime,
and no considerations of sympathy or antipathy,
for either body concerned, should be allowed
the slightest weight. Idaho has tho opportunity
to oam considerable credit or immense disgrace.
We in no degreo prejudge this case. It hrcom
plicatod and remote. But thero are circumstances
which raise suspicion of collusion between tho
mine owners and tho authorities, and Idaho owes
it to herself that this suspicion should bo removed."
THE AMERICAN correspondent for the Lon-
don National Review gives to his papor tho
following bit of information: "A few days ago
the house of representatives passed the annual
pension bill, which carries an appropriation oC
$140,000,000, and in presenting the bill to the house
the chairman of the committee presented somo
amazing statistics. Although the war of inde
pendence was fought 123 years ago, there arc still
six pensioners of that war; on account of tho .
second war with Great Britain, 8,000 widows aro
drawing pensions. The civil war is supposed to
have cost the country $0,100,000 000, and already
more than half that sum has been expended In
pensions. But even more extraordinary is tho
pension history of the Spanish war. There aro
now on the rolls more pensioners than the full
strength of Shafter's army in Cuba, the only army
that heard a Spanish bullet. In the Spanish war
there were fi,(J10 deaths from all causes, including
disease, and 9,378 casualties of every description.
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rejects an aPnllcation. Thorn ffl nn ndnnimt av.
planation of this anomaly, except tho true ono,
that the pension roll Instead of being a roll of
honor, Is honeycombed with fraud, and that men
ar dr&wing pensions who are in nowise properly
entitled W.ihem."
President Says:-
"Packing
On Monday, June 4, the president sent to con
, gress the packing house report, accompanied by
the following message:
, "The Senate and House of Representatives:
ni transmit herewith the report of Mr. James Bron
, son Reynolds and Commissioner Charles P. Neill,
"the special committee whom I appointed to in
vestigate into the conditions of the stock yards
in Chicago and report thereon to me. This re
port is of a preliminary nature. I submit it to
'you now because it sbpws the urgent need of im
mediate action "by the congress, in the direction
of providing a drastic and thoroughgoing inspec
tion by the federal government of all stock yards
' and packing houses and pf their products so far
as the latter enter into Interstate or foreign com
merce. ' "The conditions shown by even this short in
spection, to exist in the Chicago stock yards are
revolting. It is imperatively necessary in the in
terest of health and decency that they should be
radically changed. Under the existing law it is
'wholly impossible to secure satisfactory, results.
"The evil seems to be much less in the sale
of dressed carcasses than in the sale of canned
and other prepared products; and vary much less
as regards products sent abroad than as regards
those used at home.
"I urge the Immediate enactment into law of
provisions which will enable the department of
agriculture adequately to inspect the meat and
meat food products enterjng into the interstate
commerce and to supervise the methods of pre
paring the same and to prescribe tho sanitary
'conditions under which the work shall be per
formed. I therefore commend to your favorable
consideration and urge the enactment of sub
stantially the provisions known as senate amend
ment No. 29 to the act making appropriations for
tjie department of agriculture for the fiscal year
' ending June 30, 1907, as passed by the senate,
this amendment being commonly known as the
Beveridge amendment.
- "THEODORE ROOSEVELT. -
"The White House, June 4, 1906."
The report is very long and parts of it really
&sapi?
House Conditions are Revolting"
unprintable. According to a synopsis made by
the Associated Press the report says that two and
one-half weeks were spent in the investigation
in Chicago, during which "we went through, the
principal packing houses in the stock yards dis
trict together with a few of the smaller ones. A
day was spent by Mr.- Reynolds in New York city
in the investigation of its leading slaughter
houses."
The report says that in many of the rooms
where water is used freely the floors are soaked
and slimy and the dark and dingy rooms are
naturally not kept clean. An absence of clean
liness was found everywhere in the handling of
meat being prepared for the various meat food
products. The parts that are sent from the cool
ing room to these departments where various
forms of meat products are prepared, are handled
with no regard whatever for cleanliness. The
workers climb over heaps of meat, select the
pieces they wish and frequently throw them down
upon the dirty floor beside their bench.
The report says that the radical defect in the
inspection system is that passing on the health
fullness of animals at tire time of killing, but that
the meat that is used in sausage and tho various
forms of canned products and other prepared
foods goes through many processes, in all of
which there is possibility of contamination through
insanitary handling and further danger through
the use of chemicals. During all these processes
there is no government Inspection although these
products when sent out bear a label stating that
they have been passed upon by government in
spectors. The report arraigns the sanitary provisiops
in the buildings as abominable and says the men
and women plunge their unwashed hands into
the meat to be converted into food products. The
report says the burden of protecting the cleanli
ness and wholesomeness of the products and the
health of the workers and improving the con
ditions must fall upon the national government.
Department superintendents "seem to ignore
all considerations except the account hook," and
proper care of the products and health and com
fort of the employes is impossible and the con
sumer consequently suffers. Tuberculosis victims
expectorate on tho spongy wooden floors of tho
dark workrooms from which falling scraps of
meat are later shoveled up to be later converted
into food products.
"Even the ordinary decencies of life are com
pletely ignored," says the report in discussing
the arrangements for men and women employes.
The report says;
"The whole situation as we saw It In these
huge establishments tends necessarily and in
evitably to the moral degradation of thousands
of workers, who are forced to spend their work
ing hours under conditions that are entirely un
necessary and unpardonable and which are a
constant menace not only to their own health,
but to the health of those who use the food pro
ducts prepared by them."
"In a word," the report adds, "we saw meat
shoveled from fll'chy wooden floors, piled on tables
rarely washed, pushed from room to room in
rotten box carts, lu all of which processes it was
in the way of gathering dirt, splinters, floor
ill th. It was always the reply that this meat would
afterwards be cooked and that sterilization would
prevent any danger from its use. A very con
siderable portion of the meat so handled is sent
out as smoked products and In the form of saus
ages, which are prepared to be eaten without be
ing cooked.
"A particularly glaring instance of unclean
liness was found in a room where the best grade
of sausage was being prepared for export."
The report urged compulsory examination
after slaughter; increase of inspectors for night
Inspection and special work; legislation prohib
iting declarations of government inspection on
food products unless subject to government in
spection at every stage of preparation; prohibiting
interstate transportation of any meat or meat
food products not inspected and labeled; urges
considering the question of specific labeling of
all carcasses sold as fresh meat which upon ex
amination after slaughtering shows signs of dis
ease but are still deemed suitable for food; and
recommends stu'lv of inspection standards of
other countries.
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